My dad, Steve Cho, has always loved Sinatra's "My Way." I used to laugh when I played it on our piano and he would sing along. But the song has come to mean much more to me, especially in the aftermath of the November 6, 2012 Fremont mayoral election.

Though I do not currently reside in Fremont, I still affectionately call it "home." So, I stood by, tracking the mayoral race from the sidelines in Fresno. I observed from the beginning, that my dad worked tirelessly campaigning. I could not understand why it meant so much to him. But I now realize it is because of the passion he had, and still has, for Fremont. Sinatra's lyrics read:

Regrets, I've had a fewBut then again, too few to mentionI did what I had to do and saw it through without exemptionI planned each charted course, each careful step along the bywayAnd more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knewWhen I bit off more than I could chewBut through it all, when there was doubtI ate it up and spit it outI faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and criedI've had my fill, my share of losingAnd now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusingTo think I did all thatAnd may I say, not in a shy way,"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

For what is a man, what has he got?If not himself, then he has naughtTo say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneelsThe record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Indeed my dad should have no regrets in this election because he ran a strong, clean campaign. He spoke candidly about his views, and that is why so many had come to respect him regardless of political party, ethnicity, or age.

I am proud of my dad, not just for always being there for me, but because he did it "his way."